THE ATTITUDE OF SCIENCE TOWARDS MIRACLES. 
By Professor H. LaNGHoRNE OrcHARD, M.A., B.Sc. 
(Being the Gunning Prize Essay, 1909.) 
I. Preliminary.—Definitions ; Relations between Science and Miracles ; 
Nature of Scientific Evidence. 
Il. Miracles in General.—Are they possible? Are they probable ? 
Have miracles actually occurred ? 
IIL. The Bible Miracles. 
Appendix on miraculous occurrences and “ Miracles,” other than those 
recorded in Holy Writ. 
I. Preliminary.—The aim of the following Essay is to arrive 
at a conclusion, as definite as possible, with regard to the 
attitude of Science towards Miracles. It is premised that the 
attitude of Science may, or may not, be coincident with that 
of Scientists. 
We begin by defining our terms. What is Science? What 
isa Miracle? Science, says Whitney,* is “knowledge gained 
by systematic observation, experiment, and reasoning; know- 
ledge co-ordinated, arranged, and systematized.” In the 
Encyclopedic Dictionary we vead that Science is “co-ordinated, 
arranged, and systematized” knowledge, and, again, “ Science 
is a systematic species of knowledge which consists of rule and 
order”; the verb “know” meaning “having experience of,” 
“perceive with certainty.” ‘‘ Science,” says Chambers’ Encyclo- 
pedia, “in its widest significance, is the correlation of all 
knowledge. To know a truth in its relation to other truths is 
to know it scientifically.” Bouillet+ enounces that “on appelle 
Science soit une connaissance certaine (par opposition & opinion, 
qui n’est que probable), soit un ensemble de connaissances 
contréllées et systematisées par l’application d’une méthode.” 
By Huxleyft Science is regarded as “the knowledge of fact.” 
* The Century Dictionary. + Dictionnaire Universel. 
t Essay on Universities. 
